(pictured) recently joined an elite group of places prized for their star-gazing skies. The list of so-called "dark sky” parks, reserves
and communities is run by the International
Dark Sky Association, a U.S.-based group that works to reduce light pollution. Here's a look at other top night skies.

Death Valley National Park (pictured) recently joined an elite... Photo-4239732.57290 - Beaumont Enterprise

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“Death Valley (pictured) is a place to
gaze in awe at the expanse of the Milky Way, follow a lunar eclipse, track a
meteor shower, or simply reflect on your place in the universe,” National Park
Service director Jonathan Jarvis said last week.

Dark Sky ranks night skies based on visibility, education programs,
public views and being able to see the Milky Way to a certain standard. less

“Death Valley (pictured) is a place to
gaze in awe at the expanse of the Milky Way, follow a lunar eclipse, track a
meteor shower, or simply reflect on your place in the universe,” National Park
Service ... more

Photo: Dennis Flaherty, Getty Images

“Death Valley (pictured) is a place to
gaze in awe at the... Photo-4239730.57290 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Big Bend National Park, Texas

This vast land offers excellent star-gazing, due to dark skies, low humidity and rare cloud clover.
“Panoramic views of the horizon extend for almost 250 miles on a clear day, but on a clear night we can see as far as 2 million light years away to the Andromeda galaxy,” says the National Park Service of the park, pictured.

The best time to see planets and shooting stars at Big Bend (pictured) is on cold, winter nights.

"For city-dwellers accustomed to seeing only a handful of stars, Big Bend’s star-laden skies can be dazzling and a little intimidating. On the clearest nights, around 2,000 stars are visible to the naked eye here," the Park Service says. less

The best time to see planets and shooting stars at Big Bend (pictured) is on cold, winter nights.

"For city-dwellers accustomed to seeing only a handful of stars, Big Bend’s star-laden skies can be dazzling ... more

Photo: Brad Goldpaint, Getty Images/Aurora Creative

The best time to see planets and shooting stars at Big Bend... Photo-4239722.57290 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Taboola Gallery Frame Item-85307.57290 - Beaumont Enterprise

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Borrego Springs, California

Located far from urban areas in San Diego County, Borrego Springs is a boon for astronomers. It has no stoplights and is surrounded by Anza-Borrego State Park, pictured.

Borrego Springs, California

Located far from urban areas in San Diego County, Borrego Springs is a boon for astronomers. It has no stoplights and is surrounded by Anza-Borrego State Park, pictured.

A part of the Channel Islands off the Normandy coast, isolated Sark island has no cars or streetlights, offering an “unpolluted velvety night sky, with thousands of bright stars visible to the naked eye," says one tourism site.

For the darkest night skies, you obviously have to be away from bright city lights. That often means being in the middle of nowhere, like in Montville Township, Ohio. Dark Sky designated the town's Observatory Park as a top star-gazing locale in 2011. (It's so remote that Google maps doesn't have a view of it; only this road to the east of the park).

Here's another remote, rural spot that won a "Dark Sky" community designation. The town near Chicago worked to preserve its night sky, by doing things like installing streetlights to emit less skyward light, in order to "provide a respite to the famously excessive
lighting of Chicago," the town says.

Wondering why places like the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii and the Grand Canyon aren't on this list? Places have to apply for the "Dark Sky" designation and go through an application and testing process.